Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-07-15
LANETTE.
CHAPTER I.

truthfulness we all have Implicit con
idence, relates the following story
One night several years ago, | wa
q passenger on q Missouri railway
train that was mercilessly robbed by
a party of young wretches, who no
only deprived US of our valuables, bu
who, during the outrage, subjected
us to their low flung raillery. | wa.
not burdensomely encumbered will
money and gave up, without pang
the small amount | had, but wheI
one of the rascals told me to take OF
my watch, l fled my motion for al
appeal. The watch, aside from be
ing gold time.keeper of finest make
had been presented to me by q deal
friend.
"Look here," said /, "can't you lie
me keep this watch? suppose Yet
have often heard such request-no
at all strange in your line of business
but which by granting would ex
hibit your remaining dregs of grace
and which l might say, might in time
prove to be the fruitful meats of re
pentance."
l was young member at the bal
at that time, rather liked to hear the
sound of my own voice, and thought
that this little speech, so applicable
and delivered with such emphasis
should at once gain my case, but the
villain, graceful of form as well as
graceless OF morals, bowed profound
ly and replied;-
my dear sir, 1 like to hear you
talk, and under ordinary circumstan
ces would listen to you with only q
moderate degree of impatience, but
on this occasion l am really pressed
for time. While / am accommo
dating and willing to grant q hearing
to anyone dissatis fed with the man
ner in which f>conduct my affairs, yet
l must insist that you pay more at
tention to prompt delivery and less to
oratory. "Ab," taking my watch,
"a jeweled checker. of times hur.
rying moments. So long, sir. ]
wish you safe journey"
CHAPTER II
About two years after my expert
ence with the robbers. l went on q
summer vacation to Wisconsin. One
day, while threshing little trout
stream. met young gentleman to
whom-as he was engaged in the
same pastime, and has he had caught
nothing-I became attracted. He
was a tall, graceful young man,
quick-witted, and with face impress
sively handsome. We sat in the
messy shade and ate lunch together
We talked for an hour and then like
American citizens, introduced our.
selves. This is an American charac
teristic. An Englishman must know
your name before he will exhibit the
slightest interest in you, but an
American must become acquainted
with you before he cares to know
your name
"My name is Robert Gosman,
said he, when / had delivered my
cognomen, "but l am known as Wild
Bob. l don't know why, for no one
ever sees me in hurry. Here's some
very fine cabbage pickle!"
"Call you Wild Bob because yor
are not wild, probably" l replied
"The members Of a certain bar in Ar
kansaw call me Coldwater John
though l don't now remember that
have ever shown any marked predilec
tion for cold water. Pickle is frs
rate"
"Say, Hablett; | live about three
miles from here. You haven't any
thing to do particularly, have your
"Well, anything have to do, l d.
it particularly"
Il mean, have you anything par
ticularly to do?"
No"
"Well, suppose you go home will
me. You will find the folks to b
very agreeable. 1t is no boarding
house, understand" T.
AS the boarding house l had secur
ed was hardly up to the standard o
appetite, to say nothing of association
| agreed to accompany Mr. Gosman
CHAPTER III.
The Gosmans lived in o large bricl
house, surrounded by tall trees
The cool yard, the spring near tn
house and even the barn from whicl
issued the sharp, filing notes of {
score of Guinea hens-all to me wer,
inviting Old man Gosman-ol(
man through courtesy, for be was no
so very old, was quiet and undemon
strative, but could see that 1 wa.
not an "unwelcome guest, a CUES
unbid" Mrs. Gosman was one O
those women who remind me of ;
piece Of silk. Smooth, never show
ing q rulfle, smiling nearly Away
but 80 quiet of manner, and so soft o
voice that sometimes, when hearing
an undistinct sound in the room,
would look up, thinking that she haC
spoken. Miss Lanette Gosman-
but how shall l speak of her? Th,
adjective beautiful expresses much
yet how commonplace and incom
plete. Did you ever notice tina
some girls carry sunshine in thei
voices? 1t is fact, whether or no
you have noticed it. J know tina
Lanette's voice was full of sunshine
for everything was brighter when sht
spoke. Her beauty, when she enter
ed the room, bounded upon my vision
like glad surprise.
"Oh. yes, you must remain awhil,
with u.s." she remarked the next even
ing after my arrival, when Bob hat
renewed his invitation. "It is very
lonesome here at times. When father
is not at work be walks around with
his hands behind him. There
nothing that makes me moro lone
some than to see a man walking
around that way 1t always seem!
to me that he is in trouble; and moth
er, she is SO quiet and easy-well